Love is a Quidditch Match
by Muggle Writer
Summary: H&G´s love story began at Hogwarts. Sweet but not too much fluff I hope. With touches of humor , R&H and a little bit of
1. Preparing Broomsticks

Love is a Quidditch Match

H&G´s love story began at Hogwarts. Sweet but not too much fluff (I hope). With touches of humor , R&H and a little bit of tragedy.

The story is finished (6 chapters), I might delay with the translation (I originally wrote it in Spanish). I couldn't find a title for this story, so all titles come from my love for Quidditch-talk.

Chapter 1: Preparing Broomsticks

The moment Harry realized what was happening, a sequence of emotions assaulted him: surprise, shame, anxiety, fear, tickles in the stomach, and finally, curiosity. Curiosity to know when Ginny Weasley had become so pretty. The revelation had come to him that afternoon, during the quidditch practice. He was looking at Ginny flying in her broom, because she had requested him some indications on her movements. He didn't know exactly when he stopped studying her agility in the broom, and began to admire the way her hair moved with the wind and its changing colors under the fading sunlight. After some minutes, Ginny approached him, and Harry saw the beautiful color that exercise had put on her cheeks.

"I do have to improve the evasive movements," she told him. Harry agreed vaguely, and he hoped that she didn't notice that he had no idea of her last flights.

When Harry went to bed that night, he remained awake trying to convinced himself that having discovered that Ginny was beautiful should not mean nothing else. He remembered the last summer in The Burrow, when they had become friends.

Harry remained alone long hours without desires of speaking with anybody, and sometimes Ginny sat down to his side without saying anything, and he thanked her mentally for her silent company. At the beginning Harry hadn't realized why he liked Ginny's company better than her brothers´, but she pointed it out to him the first time she interrupted their silent pact.

"I have also seen him, Harry. And I keep seeing him every night in my dreams."

Harry had been surprised with her revelation, because he didn't remember that Ginny had ever spoken to him about her nightmares. However, for that time he was so locked in his pain that he didn't understand the bridge that she was offering him, and he answered coldly and without looking at her eyes:

"Anyway...you would not understand."

Ginny remained quiet some instants, perhaps not believing his answer, and finally she told him "You are the one who doesn't understand, Harry. You believe that you face alone all the pain that exists in the world." Ginny left without adding anything else, and Harry was left thinking of her words. Was it truth that he wanted to face it all alone? As if nobody was able to understand him? Was he arrogant in his suffering? Why had he answered to Ginny so cruelly? Why was he separating from himself all those who wanted to help him?

When he woke up the following morning he felt as if a cube of ice had melted in his heart, and he sat down to Ron's side and began to cry for the first time in the whole summer. Ron, more confused than asleep, put his hand on his shoulder like a sign of understanding, and then Harry began to cry even more.

Harry was surprised by Ginny greeting him that day at breakfast, but she didn't talk to him again the rest of the day. Harry wasn't very disposed to admitting that he was wrong, and not until the following day he felt brave enough to talk to Ginny. He found her in her bedroom, writing a letter. He came in and stood by the door staring to his feet. Finally she said "Harry?", and he swallowed his pride and said "Thank you Ginny, and... I´ m sorry". She looked at him while playing with her quill, and when she said "It's OK", her eyes had again their usual glow.

Harry stood still, and Ginny walked towards him and hugged him slightly. The touch moved him again, and almost unwillingly he began to cry in silence. If she had noticed it, she didn't mention it, and Harry valued her gentleness.

Harry turned over in his bed, blushing at the memory of those days when he couldn't avoid tears. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had helped him a lot, during the holidays and also after the beginning of term. The following day they would enjoy together the first Hogsmeade weekend. Finally, Harry fell asleep thinking of his favorites places.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went to Hogsmeade after lunch. Harry couldn't help noticing that Ginny looked very pretty with her scarlet cap, which matched her hair. When they were about to enter The Three Broomsticks, Ginny took Harry's arm and said "Ron, Hermione, you wouldn't mind if I take Harry with me, would you?" They both looked at her with surprise and inquisitiveness.

"I need his advice... for stuff... broom stuff", Ginny added.

Ron's face showed a "I could also advice you" look, but he didn't say anything.

So Harry and Ginny kept on walking, and Harry felt that the sun was warmer now that he was alone with Ginny and she still was holding his arm. They passed by a group of boys from Gryffindor 5th year, who greeted Ginny, and threw Harry a sort of envious look that made Ginny let go his arm.

When they went into Honeyducks, they crossed with a couple that was leaving: Cho Chang and Michael Corner. Cho looked briefly at Harry, and Michael muttered something that sounded like "How are you?", but only looking at Ginny. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks and smiled.

Harry found that afternoon much shorter than his previous Hogsmeade trips, and after a lot of chatting, a hot ice-cream and a snow-ball fight they joined Ron and Hermione in the way to Hogwarts. While he was walking with Ginny, he noticed that something was missing, and only when they entered the Great Hall he realized what it was: Ron and Hermione had not even once fought during the whole walk. During dinner he observed them carefully, and saw that they both turned red when noticing his gaze. Ginny was looking at Ron and Hermione too, not in a confused curious way like him, but with a wide smile of victory.

Harry understood it all, and avoided (not quite successfully) choking with his drink. Ginny didn't mean to be alone with him, but let Ron and Hermione be alone! He was not disappointed... perhaps just a little bit...he had a great time, and he thought that Ginny...Ron and Hermione! What on earth had happened that afternoon between those two?

There was another surprise to come yet. Harry, Ron and Hermione were revising their homework in the Common Room when a noisy object crossed flying the room and stopped above Ginny's head. The thing opened, some music was heard, and then a boy's voice said:

I saw your hair like fire in the snow.

Why are you doing this to me?

I saw you with Potter this afternoon.

Your mouths and eyes laughing.

Your heads together.

I just want to be by your side.

Why are you doing this to me?

There was a big silence, and then lots of laughter. Harry and Ginny turned simultaneously red when all the heads turned to look at them. Then Ginny took the musical object and left to the dormitories. Later Ron fired him with questions about that afternoon, and Harry defended himself by asking Ron about Hermione, but they both fell asleep without hearing any answers.


	2. The match begins

Chapter 2: The match begins

Harry woke up expecting to face lots of teasing from each and every Gryffindor, but he quickly found out that he was wrong. He wasn't required with explanations either, as once had happened to him thanks to Rita Seeker, when many people thought that Hermione, Viktor Krum and him had a love triangle. Ron was the only one who spoke of the "poem incident", just as an answer to Harry's questions about Hogsmeade.

At Thursday night Harry was seating in the Great Hall waiting for dinner, when Ginny sat by his side saying "Hi Harry!". She looked at the two empty spaces in front of Harry, and smiled playfully. Harry blinked twice : how did he not notice it? Hermione and Ron hadn't arrived yet, and dinner was about to be served. And it was not the first time in the week that they were late.

"So" began Harry, trying to sound natural, "do you reckon your plan has worked out successfully?".

Ginny's eyes shinned in a way that made him think of Fred and George.

"I must admit that it was partially successful", she answered.

"Partially?"

She looked at him thoughtfully.

"You know..."

Harry nodded automatically, just to realize that, in fact, he didn't know at all.

Ron and Hermione arrived a second before dinner was served, suspiciously silent.

After dessert, Ron faced Ginny.

"Do you know who sent you that poem thing?".

Judging by Ron's twitched mouth, Harry knew that the poet should remain anonymous for his own sake. Ginny's ears turned to the color of her hair when she answered: "Even if I knew it, I would never tell it to you".

Ron's face frowned.

"So, you don't know, do you?"

Ginny's cheeks were also turning red.

"No", she said defiantly.

"There's a way you can fin it out", said Hermione, who had been very quiet. Ron jumped in his place but said nothing. Ginny sighed and left to join her 5th year friends.

When Harry was leaving the Great Hall, he heard a girl saying to Ginny:

"Why would you want to find it out? He is a coward, for not speaking directly to you... and probably quite stupid if he thinks that Harry and you...". The girl saw Harry watching her, and hid her face behind her hair.

Harry walked to the Common Room feeling very troubled. Why did someone had to be stupid to believe that Ginny and him... whatever? Harry knew that he wasn't exactly a heart breaker, but now and then some girl turned red when he was looking at her. Besides, Ginny had spent her firsts years at Hogwarts being his first admirer. Even Cho Chang had asked him out...

He sat down in the couch next to the fire, thinking that it was not really his problem, he had much bigger things to worry about, like...His mind returned to Ginny, she looked so pretty while she was eating, the way she moved her mouth... Yes, very pretty, but that didn't mean anything else, Padma Parvatti was also very pretty, and he positively didn't... "But Padma´s eyes don't shine when she smiles", said a voice in his mind. "And so what", thought Harry, and the voice disappeared.

Ron and Hermione sat by his side arguing.

"You shouldn't give her those ideas" grunted Ron.

"You shouldn't be so jealous" Hermione replied.

"She is MY sister, and I don't want her going out with any guy".

"All boys are any guy to you".

"Not everyone", said Ron looking not very concealingly at Harry.

Harry chose to change the subject.

"Have you finished the essay for Potions?".

And the talk turned to criticizing Snape.

The next day, before lunch, a tall boy approached Harry outside the Great Hall.

"Harry, could I have a word with you?".

"See you later" said Hermione, and she and Ron left, after throwing him two inquisitive looks.

Harry recognized Ravenclaw´s Keeper, Calvin Caesar.

"What?" asked Harry, trying not to sound as surprised as he was.

He noticed that the boy was turning slightly red, and recalled him of someone, though he could not exactly tell.

"I... want to tell you that I respect you a lot... for everything... you know... and I'd like to know if... if it would be OK if I ask Ginny Weasley out".

Harry's eyes opened completely. Was Calvin asking for his permission to date Ginny? That was Ron's matter.

"I didn't mean to interfere... if there's something between you two." Calvin added.

And then Harry understood the deja vu he was feeling. Two years ago Viktor Krum had faced him, demanding to know what was happening between Harry and Hermione. That time he had felt amused and even flattered. Now it was different. Something deep inside him was strongly opposing to the idea of that handsome boy asking Ginny out. Harry felt that he was blushing too. "I don't know" Harry babbled.

Calvin tried to smile gently, and said "It's OK... I understand it", and left.

Harry stood still trying to process what had just happened. A boy had ask for his permission to date Ginny, and he said that he didn't know. "That's a NO" Harry told himself.

When Harry sat next to Hermione and Ron, he was still confused.

"What did he want?" asked Ron.

"Calvin?" said Harry trying to think quickly. "About the Quidditch Pitch reservations"

Later that day Harry began to feel guilty for the lye he told. Well, he couldn't tell the truth to Ron... because he would end hating poor Calvin Caesar... and because he would be admitting that he probably fancied his sister. So Harry decided to talk to Hermione, while Ron was having a shower.

"There's something I need to tell you, but first you must promise me that you will not tell it to Ron, or to Ginny, to NO ONE".

"You know you can trust me, Harry"

"It's about Calvin Caesar"

"What is it?"

"We didn't talk about Quidditch... we talked about Ginny. He asked me if ...I would mind if he asked Ginny out".

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Oh that Hogsmeade day!... I was suspecting of Calvin always appearing in Ginny's way... " she stopped when she saw Harry's guilty face.

"What did you said?".

Harry breathed deeply and very low said "That I don't know".

"Oh" exclaimed Hermione, as if she was needing more air. "Do you not know?".

Harry stood in silence, and realized that, in fact, he did know. Hermione looked at his eyes, and realized it too.

"What will you do, Harry?"

"Do you think that if ... if I talk to Ginny... she...?"

For a very short instant, Hermione smiled, but then her face turned very sad.

"I don't know...She hasn't talked about you ... that way... for a long time". It seemed that Hermione was making an effort to speak, like she was afraid of hurting him.

"There's something you are not telling me".

Hermione ´s face was a strange mix of pity and shame.

"I think that she might fancy Calvin", she said slowly, taking time to choose the words.

So fast. He realized that he fancied a girl, and hope vanished so fast.

"May be it's better this way... it's nice to be friends", Harry said, more to himself than to Hermione.

Harry sat in a couch, and the familiar voice in his head said: "So... you are just giving up? So fast? Are you planning to defeat Voldemort with this attitude?... The great Harry Potter... he faced the Dark Lord, but couldn't ask a girl out.

"If my father had given up on my mother when they were 15, I wouldn't be here" thought Harry.

"Do you see?" continued the voice." You have an advantage: Ginny doesn't hate you.".

"OK" Harry said to himself. "This will be quite a challenge".


	3. Be careful with the Quaffle

Chapter 3: Be careful with the Quaffle

It was not easy. Harry had no idea of what to do, in order to make Ginny notice that he could be more than her friend. The following morning Harry spent nearly half an hour literally fighting with his hair, but when Ginny saw him the only thing she said was:

"Harry, I barely recognized you with your hair so flat".

And Harry was pretty sure that was not the effect he had expected.

So Harry had to squeeze his brain out, and finally he found other tactics. Every time he ran upon Ginny and saw that she was carrying too many books (sometimes nearly as many as Hermione), he offered his help. The first time it had been a complete failure, though. Harry´s kindness had convinced Ginny that he was planning a joke, and she simply ran away from him, with books and everything. The second time Harry was more careful, and at last Ginny trusted him with her books, but she remained looking at him with suspicion.

Harry found out that Ginny spent much of her free time studying in the library, which turned to be a great place to speak with her (in low voice of course). One afternoon that they were left alone (everybody else were at the Great Hall already), Harry tried a riskier step.

"Ginny"

"What?"

"I´ve been thinking of those evasive movements...I have some ideas... meet me tomorrow after lunch at the Quidditch Pitch".

It had taken him 2 weeks to realize that Quidditch practice was the perfect alibi to spend time with Ginny, three days more to decide what exactly he should tell her, and other four days to find the time and the courage to actually telling it to her. All that, just to hear Ginny say "OK".

The sun was high in the sky when Harry and Ginny met the following day. She looked very pretty with her hair in a pony-tail, as she always had it when she flied. Harry greeted her, and hoped that his face wasn´t showing (at least not completely) how much he was drooling for her. After an hour of fast flights and sudden turns, Harry knew that his hair had returned to its natural mess. He comforted himself thinking that now it only took him 15 minutes to comb his hair (thanks to a lotion called "Motionless hair" he had ordered by owl) .

They were returning to the school, and right in front the entrance, Harry halted. For the last couple of minutes he had been trying to find a way to tell Ginny how pretty she was, but his mouth didn´t seem to remember how to speak. Ginny stopped by his side and looked at him questioningly.

"Your hair..." , said Harry.

Ginny took a hand to her hair.

"I know... it must look horrible after all that wind".

"No!... It looks nice... that way" he said pointing to her pony-tail.

Ginny stared at him, like trying to decide if he had really meant what he said.

"Thanks...Quidditch suits you hair too" she replied, running her fingers through his hair and messing it a bit more (if that was possible).

Harry smiled widely, and decided to throw that hair lotion away.

The match against Slytherin was approaching and the Gryffindor team began to practice almost every day.

That Monday practice finished earlier because Ron has some prefect duties, and Harry remained ordering everything, particularly happy because Ginny was helping him. The rest of the team had left.

"... we are going to win because we have the best team... specially for the red haired chaser and the captain" said Ginny with a wink.

Harry looked at her...she was beaming... and without actually realizing what he was doing, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Ginny stepped back taking a hand to her mouth, and then Harry heard the voice of the last person he was expecting to meet.

"Hey Potter, I hope that you and your pathetic team have finished with the Pitch, for now it´s time for the best ones to play". Harry and Ginny left the dressing room, and saw Malfoy, Crable, Goyle and the rest of the Slytherin Quiddicth team.

"Just you two?... Five years and still with the same girlfriend, Potter? And you, Weasley, for how much is your family renting you?" the others laughed with Malfoy.

Harry felt that his face was turning red with anger, but Ginny was the one who replied: "Come on Malfoy, you could never get yourself a girlfriend... apart from Crable and Goyle".

All the Slytherin players took their wands out, but Harry and Ginny were faster, and they both yelled hexes which were stopped by a blue light coming from behind.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?" shouted a very furious Professor McGonagall. "For Merlin´s beard... what do you think you are doing?! Slytherin and Gryffindor, both have 50 points less. Mr Potter, Ms. Weasley, follow me".

Harry didn´t know if he was feeling furious or disappointed. He had finally kissed Ginny... but then the whole Slytherin Quidditch team had appeared... and now McGonagall was taking them to detention... and he didn´t have one chance to speak to Ginny.

McGonagall made them sit in her office and review a pile of essays written by first years. She forbid them to talk. But when she was not looking, Ginny kicked Harry´s leg down the table, and when he looked at her, she smiled to him in a shy and captivating way that made Harry forget about everything else.

Ginny was the first to leave to her afternoon classes, and Harry after her. McGonagall asked Harry to come back before dinner, to review essays (and miss dinner). So it was a very hungry Harry who arrived to the Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore.

Although Harry had made a huge progress with the lessons, that night he was particularly (and happily) unfocused. Harry was surprised to see the memory of that afternoon, but Dumbledore said nothing.. After an hour, when Harry was about to leave, Dumbledore said with a singular look in his face: "Harry...if you are dating her, it would be better to keep it secret".

Harry went to the kitchen searching for food, and was almost kidnapped by Dobby, who didn´t let him go until he ate almost as much as an elephant. While Harry was walking to the Gryffindor Tower, he tried to analyze Dumbledore´s last words.

Keep it secret? If he would go out with Ginny ...why should no one find it out? But Harry already knew why, he had just been hoping that he was wrong: to protect Ginny. To protect Ginny from facing Sirius´ destiny, to suffer... to die... because of Harry´s faults.

So Harry understood that he could not date Ginny. He had to tell her that it had been a mistake. No matter how painful it would be.

Harry entered the Common Room and saw a lonely figure sitting in a couch by the fire. Ginny had been waiting for him. Harry sat in the couch, as far from her as it was possible.

"Hi" she said.

"Ginny, I have to tell you that ... that I didn´t...", he sighed and without looking at her said "It was a mistake".

She stood in silence staring at the fire, as if she had not heard a word. Harry looked at her face, and he found that her eyes were red. Had she been crying?

Finally she said: "McGonagall told me... when I was leaving her class... she said that no one should know that I was dating you".

Harry jumped in his place. Dumbledore had seen his memory, but how did McGonagall find it out? May be that their dialogue of smiles in her office had not been as unseen as they had thought.

Ginny was still looking at the fire, so she didn´t notice his reaction and continued talking.

"And I wondered why... why nobody should know it... and then I understood it...it would be so dangerous for you" Ginny was speaking in such a low voice that Harry had to come closer to her in order to hear her. "If he finds it out... he´ll try to use me...like before... to hurt you".

Harry felt that a huge hole was growing in his heart. Ginny thought that he would be in danger, and it was precisely the other way round. He had to seize the couch to hold the growing need to hug her. He had to tell her the truth.

"Dumbledore saw my memory in the Occlumency lesson... and he told me to keep it secret... if I was dating you...and I realized that it was necessary to protect you...so you would not end like" he swallowed before saying it "Sirius".

Ginny was staring at him. Her face was sad, but her eyes were shinning. Harry was so close to her that he could see himself reflected in her eyes. A second later he was kissing her very tenderly, his heart jumping madly in his chest. Ginny kissed him back, and Harry forgot about Voldemort, Dumbledore and the entire Earth population. There were just Ginny and him. He felt deeply sad when she separated her face.

"We still can be friends" he said.

"Of course", she replied, blushing."Best friends".

The very moment she looked at him again, almost automatically Harry kissed her once more. And this time he hugged her, and she hugged him back.. Harry couldn´t remember anything more delightful. He could have conjured the best ever Patronous. The mental image of his Patronous reminded him of Sirius. This time it was Harry who turned his face away.

"Please forgive me" he said.

Ginny stood up. "I´m sorry, Harry. I´m terribly sorry". And she ran to the Girls Dormitories.

The following days Harry was feeling so miserable that even Ron noticed it.

"Are you feeling OK, Harry?" Ron asked him during lunch. "You have been eating almost nothing lately".

?It´s natural that YOU think that someone is eating too little... you have three servings of everything!" said Hermione.

"Just with dessert" replied Ron looking offended.

Harry smiled and he felt a little bit better.

"May be you are ill" Hermione told him when they were heading to their next class. "I think that there is some kind of virus in our Tower. Ginny is also looking a bit sick lately".

Harry was lucky that no one of his friends saw his reaction, because Ron was arguing with Hermione about "that myth" that muggles called virus.

Despite all his effort, perhaps because Harry was weak after a week of almost not eating, Dumbledore saw that night memory.

"I´m under the impression that I might have not expressed myself correctly. It´s a wonderful thing to care for a girl, and even more if she cares about you too. Believe me when I tell you, both things do not often happen at the same time". Dumbledore smiled, and continued: "But I do believe that it´s sensible not to draw too much attention on you. And that´s why I told you to keep it secret. But I beg you, please do not miss one of the most beautiful experiences of life, for fear of what might come".

Harry felt an explosive sensation in his stomach (apart from an overwhelming hunger): he had to speak with Ginny. He left Dumbledore´s office trying to stay calm, but then he began to run, and only stopped when he reached the Fat Lady´s Portrait.

The Common Room was full with groups of girls and boys, some chatting and others studying. Ginny was sitting with a group of girls from her year, doing homework.

Harry decided to use his captain privileges, and approached the group of girls.

"Ginny, we need to talk about tomorrow´s practice."

Ginny walked to Harry´s side, and he guided her to an empty corner.

"I need to talk with you...in private.. could we meet here at midnight?".

"I don´t think that´s a good idea" she said without looking at him.

"It´s important".

After some hesitation, she nodded.

Harry smiled widely, and looking around, he noticed that many curious eyes were watching them.

"And for tomorrow´s practice remember to... bring you rain coat" he said loudly.

So Harry called each one of his players, and told them that the next day they were going to conjure a small storm and play under the rain. Ron even thought it was a great idea, because he was sure that the Slytherins would conjure a storm during the match next Sunday, and use the low visibility to play fouler than ever.

A minute before midnight Harry went to the Common Room, hidden under his Invisibility Cloak. He found Ginny sitting next to the fire, reading. Harry checked that nobody was coming down the stairs, and sat near Ginny, covering her with his cloak.

She hardly suppressed a scream.

"I think that my heart has left my chest!"

Harry told her Dumbledore´s words, and Ginny looked at him with her eyes widened by the surprise.

"What do you think?" Harry asked her, not worried at all about his eager voice.

She remained silently thoughtful, while Harry was fighting with the desire of kissing her.

At last she said "I don´t want _him_ (Harry knew that she was not referring to Dumbledore) to decide how I should live my life". And to further explanation, she gave him a quick kiss on his nose. Harry realized that it was the very first time he received a kiss on his nose...or at least it was the first time that he was aware of it.

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Thank you for reading!

I won´t be home for a couple of days, so next chapter will delay at least a week. I´ll try to update as soon I as can.


	4. Dealing with the Keeper

Chapter 4: Dealing with the Keeper

Harry and Ginny soon found out that secret dating was not precisely easy at Hogwarts. They sat together only at lunch, and during the other meals they just greeted each other quickly. The first couple of days they met every midnight at the Common Room, but then they thought that their morning weariness might easily accuse them. So they cut their late meetings to two per week, something that Harry found awfully scarce. For the last Hogsmeade day of the year they went with Ron, Hermione and Neville. Inviting Neville had been Ginny´s idea, and Harry accepted it but didn´t much like it, especially because he suspected that it had been Neville who sent Ginny the "poem thing". Ron didn´t agree with Harry on this theory, for Ron was almost sure that it had been Dean Thomas.

"After all, she dumped him the second day of the term" said Ron to establish his reasoning."But why would you matter about that?".

Harry hardly avoided a gasp, and shrugged trying to look innocent.

If Ron and Hermione were not telling him about whatever was going on between them (and Harry and Ginny would have bet that something was indeed going on), Harry would neither say a word about him and Ginny.

Harry was quite relieved when the Christmas Holidays began, although he would have preferred to spend them at he Burrow and not at Grimmauld 12. The same afternoon they arrived, Mrs. Weasley sent Harry and Ginny to clean the attic, and they both went upstairs trying to complain convincingly.

Ginny locked the door, and some hours later, when Hermione went to call them to dinner, they had not clean a single thing. Ginny opened the door, and Hermione looked at them questioningly.

"Why was the door locked?"

Ginny lied openly: "We were afraid that something would emerge from the trunks and escape to another room".

Hermione looked at the untouched mess of the room, at Harry´s particularly untidy hair, and at Ginny´s very red ears, and smiled understandingly.

"I see it...You two were...I knew it!! Oh, when I tell it to Ron..."

"Oh no, it´s very important to keep this secret". And Harry told her about Dumbledore´s and McGonagall´s warnings.

"But Ron..." Hermione muttered.

"Why would you have to tell him?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow. Harry followed her strategy, and added:

"That´s true...I can´t see why you could not hide something from Ron."

This was Hermione´s turn to blush. She sighed with resignation, and nodded.

Nevertheless, Ron found it out four days later, when he opened the door of the wardrobe where Harry and Ginny were hidden.

"OOHH! I knew it... When I tell this to Hermione..."

"On no" Ginny cried."It´s really important to keep this secret". And she told him the same story they had previously told Hermione.

Ron seemed rather uncomfortable with the idea of hiding something from Hermione, but said nothing.

"Fred and George would be very proud of you" Harry told Ginny when they were alone again.

Their entertainment lasted until the day before returning to Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny had slipped away after dinner, and when they opened the door of the wardrobe where Ron had found them, they discovered that it was already occupied

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Hermione!" Harry cried.

Ron and Hermione blushed furiously, but looking at them mischievously. Harry and Ginny noticed that they still were holding hands.

"So you two..." said Ron, not sounding surprised at all.

Hermione stared at him.

"You knew it!" she told him.

"I didn´t... wait... you knew it!" Ron said quite offended.

After making all the required explanations, Ginny asked:

"How long have you...mmm...dating... since the first Hogsmeade day?"

Ron looked at Hermione, who muttered: "More or less". "Before that?!" exclaimed Harry.

So Harry and Ginny learnt from Ron and Hermione (more precisely from Hermione) all the tricks they had been using to fool them. And they found them quite useful.

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This chapter is much shorter than the previous ones. Perhaps it´s more like a corollary to chapter 3 and an introduction to chapter 5.

Thank you for reading!

Thank you very much for reviewing!


	5. A glimpse of the Snitch

Chapter 5: A glimpse of the Snitch

It had been almost nine years since Harry and Ginny had found Ron and Hermione in that wardrobe. And after all those years of love and savings, Ron and Hermione would be finally getting married the following day.

Harry had spent the whole morning remembering his last two years at Hogwarts: those secret kisses with Ginny, Ron´s and Hermione´s embarrassed faces each time they held hands. The first time that Harry realized that he did not just liked Ginny, but that he was in love with her, came to him very brightly.

It happened during Harry´s last school holidays. Harry was at his bedroom in Privet Drive, looking at a picture of Ron, Hermione Ginny and him that Luna had taken (though Harry was pretty sure that Ron had been her true objective). The four of them were sitting in the library, smiling and waving at Harry. Then Harry thought of one of Fred´s and George´s jokes to Percy: they had dropped ink on his girlfriend´s picture, and she had refused to show up again. So, may be if he did the same thing to Ron´s and Hermione´s images, they would also leave the picture. And Harry would have the very first picture of Ginny and him. As he had expected, Ron´s and Hermione´s images got quite angry when Harry dropped ink on them, and left the picture. But Harry wasn´t expecting what happened after. Harry and Ginny were sitting at both the edges of the photo, separated by Ron and Hermione. After they left, Ginny´s image stood up and sat by Harry´s side. Photo-Harry smiled widely, and both images remained looking and smiling at each other, completely oblivious of a very surprised Harry staring at them. Harry was deeply happy the rest of the day. So he realized that Ginny had something (apart from being amusing, sweet and pretty) that he liked a lot: the way he always felt better, even hopeful, when he was with her. Harry searched among his memories, and found that sensation had been in his heart before they had begun dating, and even before he had realized that he fancied her. He felt a sudden need to talk to Ginny, to hear her voice and take her hands in his. Harry looked at the mirror, and his image asked him: "So...are you in love?". He already knew the answer.

Harry´s last year at Hogwarts had been the most difficult of all. And that had nothing to do with the endless classes and the NEWTS preparation. The most exhausting suffocating thing, was the continuous fear of attack. Harry couldn´t imagine surviving through all that pain, but he did. And he knew that he did it for Ginny and because of Ginny.

Harry finished his seventh year with a great event that was now in every History of Magic book: Voldemort´s second and final defeat. The great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived Twice.

The summer after the war was the first one that Harry spent completely at the Burrow. Ginny and him could at last walk holding hands. They finally could do all those things that regular couples always do. During the four years that Harry went out with Ginny, he was the happiest man on Earth. But they loved each other so madly, they depended so much on each other, that they panicked. They were so young! May be they had lived too fast, because that´s the way you live when you believe you may not have a tomorrow.

Harry began the Auror training, but before the end of his first year he realized that the Dark Arts had already taken too much from him, and quitted the course. He was almost automatically called to play Quidditch professionally, and Harry accepted quite enthusiastically.

Ginny had no career doubts. After finishing with honours her last year at Hogwarts, she began the Healer training. Harry had daily exhausting practices and Ginny was always in her endless classes, so they could barely see each other. A couple of months after Harry´s nineteenth birthday, something unexpected happened. Dealing with a Misuse of Muggle Artefacts emergency, Mr. Weasley suffered an accident that took his life. Everyone was deeply shocked with his absurd death. It was very ironical that Mr. Weasley, who had survived two murder attempts, had died because of a malfunctioning plug. Despite everything, Harry thought that Mr. Weasley had died doing something he loved, and he realized that he was not willing at all to die in a Quidditch accident.

So Harry was searching for a job, for the third time in less than two years. On the other hand, Ginny was utterly depressed for her father´s death, and was decided to study harder than ever. Even though they still loved each other, the decided to break up.

Harry remembered very well that day.

It was very late and they both were tired when they met in that café. For the last two months they had been fighting a lot, about the most stupid things. They asked for two Butterbeers and stood in silence, and after several minutes Ginny said:

"We are not OK, Harry".

"I know"

"I feel that ... we've been _us _for such a long time... with such desperation and passion... that we forgot to be Harry and Ginny".

Harry stared at her, surprised that she had put into words his own feelings once more, as she always did.

Both Harry and Ginny realized that they needed to grow up by their own, far from that love that so much safety had given them during the war, the love that had saved them. They kept in touch, as friends, perhaps subconsciously waiting for the time to come together again. Harry was offered a job in the Ministry of Magic, at the Department of Sports, but after a time he heard of a vacancy at the Department of Mysteries, and much to his own surprise, he asked for the job and was transferred. There he finally found a place where he felt he could fit well. About three years ago, Ginny had moved to France to complete her specialization. Since then, they only write to each other for special occasions.

Harry had four girlfriends after Ginny, and all of them had ditched him. He had never understood the reason of his disastrous love life, until Karenina, his last girlfriend, told it to him the night she left him: "I can´t go on like this, because I´m falling in love with you, and you already are in love with another woman".

Now Harry was alone, as he had been the largest part of his life. And his two best friends were getting married the following day. Harry stepped into his fireplace and flooed to The Burrow, for the pre-party-lunch the Weasleys were offering. He felt somehow ashamed at noticing he was a little nervous. He knew that Ginny would be there. He would see her again, after such a long time.

A very dynamic Ron came to greet Harry, and he noticed that Ron was about 100 times more nervous than him. His gaze travelled around the garden, searching for a certain red-haired head. Ginny was standing by Bill´s side, one arm around his waist (Harry was the only one who knew that Bill was her favourite brother) and chatting with Hermione. Ginny looked like she always did, and yet she was different. Harry got closer to greet them, Hermione was the first one to hugged him (in a vigorous and rather nervous way), then Bill, and finally Ginny. Hermione and Bill both muttered something and left. Harry was used to this: every time he had met with Ginny at The Burrow, the Weasleys (or Weasley-to-be) soon found any excuse to leave them alone. Harry supposed that they had never quite accepted the fact that Ginny and him were not an item anymore. He couldn´t blame them, perhaps he had not accepted it either.

Ginny greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, and he replied with a kind smile:

"It´s been a long time since we last met".

"Since that horrible New Year´s Eve, when Fred and George ruined all the food".

"I hope that they don´t have anything planned for tomorrow" Harry said.

She looked at him raising her eyebrows: "That´s exactly what I was thinking. Imagine Mum´s reaction".

Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was talking with Hermione´s parents. Everyone was wearing Muggle clothes, as a friendly gesture to the visitors.

"Dad would have loved that" Ginny said looking away thoughtfully.

Harry perceived the sadness in her voice, and put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his chest, and they stood in silence. Harry wondered if Ginny could hear his heart beating madly.

"How was Paris? Did you leave any broken heart?"

She raised her head and looked at him, smiling in that way that had always reminded him of Fred and George.

"The famous Harry Potter – the sexiest wizard of the year- is interested in my love affairs. I guess that, thanks to Witch Weekly, I run with an advantage in the love life information contest."

Harry blushed like a teenager at the mental image of the Special Autumn Edition of Witch Weekly, which had chosen him and his former girlfriend as the sexiest couple of the year. Nevertheless, Harry knew very well that he wasn´t sexy at all. He just was word-wide famous. The sexy one was Karenina Tomovlova, the renowned Russian robe model.

"I´ll tell you the true version of anything you had read, but first you have to answer my question", he said with his best smile.

"I met someone at the hospital practices... Jean Luc".

Harry´s heart dropped towards his stomach.

"A nice guy, he helped me a lot".

"Did he come with you?" Harry asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

"He dumped me after my birthday".

Harry´s mouth formed an O, but said nothing.

"What about you and your top-model girlfriend? Is she as gorgeous as she looks in the photos? " Ginny asked elbowing him softly.

"Oh...well... she´s _pretty_...but she is not my girlfriend any more. She ditched me a couple of weeks ago".

"Oh...I´m sorry".

"It´s OK...She said something funny when she left...".Harry wasn´t sure why he was saying this. "She said that I could never love her".

Ginny looked at him inquisitively. Harry leaned his head to speak in her ear, but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley´s voice.

"Lunch is served".

Harry wasn´t surprised to find that they had left two places for Ginny and him, so they could sit together.

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	6. Catching the Snitch

Chapter 6: Catching the Snitch

The wedding ceremony was quite original, for it mixed Muggle and Wizard traditions. They all gathered in the Weasley´s garden, which had been specially prepared for the party, and had previously been magically enlarged.

Hermione´s mother cried during all the service, and Mrs. Weasley´s face had a twitched expression that probably meant that she was avoiding to do the same thing. Hermione was very pretty in her dress robe covered with daisies, but Harry could hardly deviate his gaze from Ginny.

"At least try to close your mouth a little bit" muttered Fred by his side, surprising a giggle.

At the party Harry met with several of his old school friends. A flash called his attention, and he turned to see Colin Creevey and his wife, Luna Lovegood. Luna had a blond baby in her arms.

"Harry, may I take a photo of you holding Neville?" asked Colin.

Harry was pretty sure that he wouldn´t be looking very happy in that photo. The baby´s name had awaken a succession of memories in him, as Neville Longbottom´s face had appeared in his mind.

Harry and Neville had always shared a strange connection. A prophecy had named them both as Voldemort´s potential defeaters, but Voldemort had chosen Harry to be his equal. Harry and Neville had been deprived of their parent´s love because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry and Neville had both fallen in love with the same girl, and she had chosen Harry. But it had been Neville who died to save her. And by saving Ginny, Neville had also saved Harry.

Hermione´s voice called Harry to reality. It was his turn to dance with the bride, according to some weird Muggle tradition, which had also forced a flushing Ron to dance with Hermione´s mother.

Hermione´s happiness was so overwhelming that Harry found himself smiling again.

"I still remember your face the night Ginny and I found you two kissing in that wardrobe".

"Sometimes it seems to me like it was only yesterday. Oh, I was so mad at you two for playing with us", Hermione said smiling.

"You know Ginny... she has it in her blood", Harry replied while looking at Ginny, who was dancing with Fred..

"I will never understand why Ginny and you are not together" Hermione said reading Harry´s expression

"This dress robe is killing me... it´s too hot in here" Harry said loosening his tie.

"Harry Potter, don´t you dare change the subject in my wedding day!".

"We have taken different paths" Harry said sighing sadly.

"Well, Ginny is moving to London this month. She´s got a job in St. Mungo´s. She is looking for an apartment, perhaps you can help her." Hermione forced him to give a turn, and they ended in front of Fred and Ginny.

"Can I have a dance with my favourite brother-in-law?" Hermione asked. So Harry had no choice but to dance with Ginny.

They spoke about the ceremony, joking about Ron´s terrified face when he thought that Harry had forgotten the rings.

"So... I heard that you´ll be working in St. Mungo´s. Congrats!"

"Thanks! But now I´m facing a tougher task: to find an apartment. I´ve even tried with a Muggle newspaper... Muggle rents are cheaper sometimes ...But I don´t get a word of those adds."

"May be I could help you... I can be your real state agent!"

"_Real mate_?! I need help, but I don't know what you are speaking about... I do hope that you are offering me something _inappropriate_... appropriate!!"

Harry looked at her deeply amused, and saw Ginny´s ears turned to a strong shade of red.

"It´s a hot day for the Day of the Dead, isn´t it?", Ginny muttered making herself a pony tail.

The following Tuesday Ginny emerged from Harry´s fireplace at the exact time they had agreed to meet. Harry was preparing himself breakfast, and invited her with watermelon and grapefruit juice.

"Is this one still your favourite morning drink?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, while looking at Harry´s dining room.

"Time has changed you, Harry. It seems that you´ve become a tidy person."

"When you are by yourself you have no choice".

"Do I look as Muggle as I should?" Ginny asked.

"Your skirt should be shorter" said Harry, and with a movement of his wand turned it into a miniskirt.

"So you´ve become a pervert too" Ginny said laughing.

After a whole week of intense search Harry and Ginny concluded that it was very difficult to find a nice cheap apartment. Ginny´s was just a beginner, and her salary couldn´t afford too much expenses. She was decided to live by herself though.

But luck smiled to Harry soon: he found a small first floor apartment available in his own block. The rent was way over what Ginny was able to afford, so Harry made a deal with the owner. Harry would secretly pay half the rent, and the owner would asked Ginny for half the money.

Ginny loved the place, but she immediately muttered to Harry : "I could never ever afford a place like this". She was very surprised when she heard the price, and grabbed Harry by his arm and took him outside.

"This Muggle is crazy... this place costs twice as much. He must be hiding something from us".

Harry had already found the perfect alibi:

"The neighbours believe that it´s haunted".

So Harry turned Ginny his neighbour.

Having Ginny so near allowed Harry to come by with any excuse.(though most of them were not very reasonable or believable). When he ran out of sugar, when he forgot about some house cleaning spell, when he wanted to play chess, he knocked at her door. They spent most of their free time together. For the New-Year´s Eve Pre-Party from the Department of Mysteries, Harry invited Ginny, causing several giggles and inquisitive stares from his workmates.

Clotilde, a witch that had worked at the Department for the last 30 years, faced them without hesitation or embarrassment:

"It´s hard to believe that you two could be friends. I read about you... I know that once you were more than friends. And everyone knows that ashes always remain after the fire".

Harry choked with his drink but said nothing.

After the party they returned to Ginny´s place, and she offered him a cup of tea.

"You Unspeakables are really amusing. I think that is because you never speak about work", Ginny joked.

Harry was feeling particularly uninhibited after he couldn´t tell how many Fire Whiskies he had drunk.

"I´ve never told you the reason why Karenina dumped me".

"Yes you did...She thought that you could never love her".

"That´s just a part of it... she said that I could never love her, because I was already in love with another woman."

Ginny made a strange gesture, wrinkling her nose like a cat.

"I have a confession too...Do you remember the musical card you sent me for my birthday?. Jean Luc went crazily jealous when he saw it. He said that he could not compete with a memory... that you would always be between us. So he said goodbye."

Harry and Ginny stood in silence staring fixedly at their cups.

"Ginny... Do you reckon that they have a point?"

Finally, Harry found out that he wasn´t the only one who had drunk perhaps too many Fire Whiskies. He raised his head and saw Ginny´s face very close to him, and felt that she was kissing his nose. He needed nothing else to hug her.

"I´ve missed you so much" he muttered in her ear.

The morning after those very passionate and long awaited kisses, Harry woke up utterly happy. He prepared breakfast for two, put in on a tray, and went to Ginny's house. He chose to walk, because apparating and glasses didn't get well together.

Harry had a key (after all, he was paying half the rent), both facts that Ginny ignored. He found Ginny deeply asleep, in a very odd position. He didn't want to wake her up, so he sat on a chair next to her bed and remained there watching her sleep. More or less three quarters of hour later, Ginny did a funny noise and opened her eyes.

"Good morning"

Ginny stared at him in disbelief.

"I brought you breakfast. The last one of the year".

Ginny sat in her bed, staring at him in silence.

"Oh Harry" she said at last. "Last night... did we...?"

"We kissed" Harry said, offering her a glass of watermelon juice.

Ginny drank the whole glass at once.

"And where are we now?" she asked.

"Your place" said Harry.

"I know that... I mean... _us_".

"I was half drunk last night, but that didn't make me a liar. I've missed you so much, Ginny... After we broke up, I took me many months to start dating again. And the first girl that I kissed ... I kissed her only because she had your laugh. My second girlfriend had your freckles. Karenina had your sense of humor. I was always looking for you, but I wasn't aware of it."

"You will never let me get over you, won't you?" said Ginny throwing him a pillow.

"During my fourth year at Hogwarts I was so sure that you meant nothing to me but a friend. But in my fifth year, we become closer...and I began to like the _real_ you...I still remember you carrying my books...You made me fall in love with you... Then we broke up, and now, after five years, I believed that I finally was over you... till we met again two months ago... and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack."

"Do you not realize it?" Harry asked her. "We never had an end... it was more like... a necessary pause".

"We were just kids. We had to grow up and figure out many things... We were so in love...", Ginny said looking at him hopefully. "Do you think that it´s true... that you cannot forget your first love?".

Harry didn´t answer. He sat by her side, caressed her face, and kissed her tenderly.

"So it´s _us _again..." muttered Ginny.

They remained in silence, looking at each other and giving themselves time to completely understood what that meant.

"Perhaps it would be better to keep this private for a while... you know my family..." said Ginny after a couple of minutes.

"The second after we´ll tell them that we are back together, they will be naming our children" Harry said laughing.

Ginny blushed slightly, but then she seemed to realize something and said:

"So tell me... how did you come in? I always close my fireplace at night."

And then it was Harry´s turn to blush.

Harry knew that things rarely go as you plan them.

It was the last Friday of January, and Harry was preparing to leave his house when a red haired head, immediately followed by a bushy one, appeared in his fireplace.

"HARRY!" the yellowed.

"Ron, Hermione... what...?"

He was interrupted by a magazine that flew from his fireplace directly into his head, covering him with ashes. Harry grabbed it, and saw the cover of the last issue of Witch Weekly: a picture of Ginny and him laughing and kissing.

"How could you! You told me that you didn´t need another relationship now!" said Hermione.

"We met yesterday and you said nothing!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry babbled something, but he stopped when he saw a third head popping in his fireplace.

"Mum! It´s already crowded in here!" Ron shouted.

Mrs. Weasley paid no attention to his son.

"Harry! I´ve always wanted this to happen... but not to learn about it this way!"

At last Harry recovered himself, and with his best diplomatic tone he explained:

"We were planning to tell you all at Charlie´s birthday party, as a surprise".

"That thing on your couch... is it...?" Ron grunted.

Harry stepped forward, so he could block the sight of his couch. Ginny had flooed that morning to have breakfast with him, and she had forgotten her dressing gown. He didn´t want to give any explanations, specially in front of Mrs. Weasley.

"Actually I´m a bit late for work... so if I could use my fireplace..."

Harry met with Ginny for lunch, and he didn´t need to explain her that every witch and wizard of the country was now aware of their relationship, and that they had most probably offended the whole Weasley family. However, at Charlie´s birthday party they found that the Weasley were so happy about them, that they even forgot to look offended.

Harry and Ginny tried not to make the same mistake twice. Five minutes after they had agreed about it, they sent simultaneous messages to all their friends and relatives, announcing that they would get married the following month. But somehow somebody else heard of it too, and a special issue of Witch Weekly (about what they announced as the wedding of the century) appeared that same night.

The End 

I wish I could say that they lived happily ever after, but that´s not up to me to decide.


End file.
